What is London Dry Gin?

London Dry is the strictest class of gin under the European rules: all flavour must come from the plant materials during distillation.

Regulation (EU) 2019/787 defines London gin in Annex I as a form of distilled gin. The alcohol is redistilled in the presence of all the natural plant materials used, and the resulting distillate contains at least 70 per cent alcohol. After that distillation nothing more may be added except water and the substances the regulation itself lists. Adding flavourings afterwards is therefore not possible.

No, London gin is a category in European legislation, not a protected origin: the rules set no requirement for where it is distilled.

In the EU, protection of origin works through geographical indications. For spirits there are about 250 of them, from Cognac to Irish Whiskey. London gin is not one of them, but appears in the list of 44 categories of spirit drinks, alongside gin, vodka and rum. A London Dry Gin from Spain, Germany or the Netherlands is therefore just as legitimate as a gin from London.

At most 0.1 grams of sweetening per litre of final product. Above that limit the name London gin may not be used, and the word dry also falls away.

By comparison, the same regulation sets a minimum of 100 grams of sweetening per litre for liqueur. Between those two figures lies the whole world of sweetened gins. Colourings are also prohibited in London gin. So a coloured gin can perfectly well exist; it just cannot be called London gin.

Ordinary gin may have flavourings added after distillation; London Dry Gin may not. Both must contain at least 37.5 per cent alcohol in the bottle.

The regulation has three tiers. Gin (category 20) is alcohol of agricultural origin flavoured with juniper, in which the juniper taste must predominate and flavourings may also be added after distillation. Distilled gin (category 21) is distilled from alcohol of at least 96 per cent in the presence of juniper berries and other natural botanicals. London gin (category 22) is distilled gin with the strictest requirements, plus a limit of 5 grams of methanol per hectolitre of pure alcohol.

By the legal name. If it says London gin or London Dry Gin, all the requirements of Annex I have been met, because otherwise that word may not appear.

Terms such as dry, distilled gin and gin each have their own meaning in the regulation. If it just says gin, the flavour may also come from additions made after distillation. If it says London gin, everything comes from the still and there is virtually no sugar in it. Words such as handcrafted or small batch are not defined anywhere in law.